What is this Zine about?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN published a
document in 2013 called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Edible Insects: future prospects for
food and feed security.â&#x20AC;? This book assesses the potential of
insects as food and feed. The document includes important
research and information that the public should know, but it is
dense and tedious to read. Our mission is to break down the
document and provide you with the most important information
in a more exciting way.

Hello readers,
We are two curious individuals that have a mission to open
your minds to new lifestyles. In particular, we want to get you
excited about eating bugs. Sounds gross, right? We thought so
too, but after our experience, we are excited about the
possibilities that eating insects can open in our society.
There is a lot of important information published about entomophagy but not much hype around it. We are here to break it
down for you and translate the research into a more palatable
and compelling source.
We hope that through our exploration of the edible insect world
in NYC, we can inspire you to delve into the insect world and
bring it into your own lives.
Yours truly,
Brandon Washington & Eliz Ayaydin

We took a trip down to Antojoria
La Popular, a Mexican restaurant in
Little Italy modeled after a Mexican
street snack eatery.

La
popular

Antojeria
La Popular
50 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

La Popular sources their
insects and many of their
ingredients from Mi Barrio
Tortilleria Corporation.
It is a store for Mexican
food products located in
East Williamsburg.

OAXACA
$6.95

The crickets stacked on a tostada crunch and
topped with avocado make a great
combination of ingredients.

André
Luis
Martín
Entomophagy advocate

Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If

Westerners
are so used to
getting all
their food at a
supermarket
that they
have
forgotten
what
exactly they
are eating.

Yes, very well. Queens County Museum as well as the Ministry of
Agriculture of Aruba (my country) has started to gather support for
mealworm and cricket farming. A Thai restaurant in Union Square
called Qi has begun to sell Silkworms and Thai-style grasshoppers,
and numerous entrepreneurial enterprises have been popping up
even since we last spoke.

Still vying for my bachelor’s degree as well seeking a group of
pasta business.

After being a vegan for 4 years I missed the crunchy, meaty,

did some research about entomophagy and I gave it a shot when I
bought of a bag of chapulines at a Mexican foodstore in East Harlem
and I LOVED IT. Ever since then there have been few insects I would
not go crazy to eat again and am convinced that there’s a beautiful
future for insects as food.

society?
First and foremost society in general will be closer to nature, which
as I did my own research came up multiple times. Westerners are
so used to getting all their food at a supermarket they have forgotten what exactly they are eating. A change in what’s served
will force people to think more critically (hopefully) about human’s
closest and most universal cultural habit: eating. To continue, it will
dependence of conventional livestock, which are disease prone and
have bad conversion rates.

Get a celebrity or two to endorse it and marketing after that.

Yes, people are keenly interested and have begun to ask to try some.

I lost that factor since day one. With other people, I try to use
very easy, especially if it tastes amazing.

Sun-dried and smoked Southern African Mopani caterpillars
(mashonja), fried bamboo larvae (non pai), and crispy silkworm pupae
(can). I have not had a tarantula yet. I have and will always have (forgive the pun) a soft part for any Crustacean.
Are there restaurants or stores near you where you can order inI live in Washington Heights and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of medical students
walking about at night and I think some Thai-style cheap insects as
bar-food would do very well here or anywhere near a college.

I see supermarkets freely selling them in sauces, prepared foods,
and snacks. Some of them may be even making their way to replace
croutons as a salad topping. I see it coming into the main healthy
competitor against vegetarianism/veganism. The long awaited
dining out possibilities maybe even supplanting Thai food, which many
food critics have been stating.

of Little Herds and WorldEnto are inspiring stories for me. It really is
an entomophagy renaissance, though I think they mostly have been
preaching to the converted and could use with some more

Louis
snorkin
Forensic entomologist

I began in
pre-med, but
after taking a
field
entomology
class and
having to look
at insects
under a
microscope, I
became hooked
on their
morphology.

Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If yes,
Yes. It has jump started more discussion on the topic in many social
circles. I spoke at the New York Academy of Sciences on the subject
and it was well attended.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m actually working on spider systematics and forensic entomology,
but also keep interest in entomophagy. I enjoy lecturing on the subject of entomophagy, to hopefully interest those who are interested
or those who just want to learn. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very much interested in allergic
responses including those from eating certain insects.

I have been interested in entomology since childhood and
entomophagy and forensic entomology since university graduate
school. Sometimes the two have crossed paths when treating

at insects under a microscope, I became hooked on their morphology.

society?
I think that more and more of the approximately 2000 species of
insects already documented as edible by many world societies will
be reviewed and assayed in order to provide data on protein, fat,
essential oils, essential amino acids, etc., to see which species might
There will be better ways to rear, cook and package these to blend in
well with society to be enjoyed in many who still resist their usefulness.

order to hide the insect form from the general public because so
many people identify insects with infestation and disease
transmission.

I think after lectures and also having the participant’s try some insects
that aren’t simply covered in chocolate or have become enveloped in
a sugary lollipop teaches that insects taste very good on their own.

“yuck” factor.

I don’t have too much of a favorite, but I do like crickets and
waxworms. Oven dried, stir fried, steamed, in soup, are all ways
insects can be enjoyed. I know that many local preparations include
healthier ways should be promoted.
Are there restaurants or stores near you where you can order
I don’t know of any stores near me, but many things can be ordered
via the Internet and you don’t really need a ‘brick&mortar’ structure.
I know of some restaurants in NYC, but I haven’t gotten to them to
taste their dishes.

Maybe I’m optimistic, but I see more insects entering into the human
food chain, but I think in the U.S. it may very well come from the
menus that have whole insects, too.

cluding those who have created home mass insect production units,
to those who produce food items that have insects in their
composition to those who lecture on the subject to get people inter-

Marko
Manriquez
Foodie & designer

Brandon: Are you aware of the UN document on edible insects?
Marko: No, I don’t really subscribe to UN publications.
Brandon: How do you feel about eating bugs?
Marko: Um, I have strong feelings about it. I don’t want to eat bugs. I
feel like someone got overzealous about saving the world with this
overeating animal protein which is clearly very bad and agriculture as
the industry is probably the 1st or 2nd most catastrophic for climate
changes so many things being done to the soil and water supply and
can alter and improve the way we deliver food to people than that’s a
good thing but I see people so desperate to create change that they
kind of grab onto a trend and like want to shove it down everyone’s
throat.
Brandon: So you think eating bugs is like kale?
M: No, I think we should be eating more vegetable protein. I don’t see
why we have to be eating bugs. That’s not part of my culture. Food is
very personal and very traditional and I see it kind of like this idealistic colonialism. What I mean is like, oh you came up with something
and now you want to impose it on other people because it’s good
for us. That’s colonialist to me. If you want to inform change, maybe
these people should go into these regions, be an anthropologist, and
from something and I think the UN and foreign policy does it a lot.
Brandon: I see.
Marko: Sorry I didn’t realize I was going to be that passionate about it.
Brandon: So you don’t feel like we have the place to bring bugs into
our culture?

Brandon: Well I think that the organic part about it is other cultures
bringing in bugs into these dishes.

Marko: Yeah but what cultures?
Brandon: Like the Mexican cultures bringing in crickets as a garnish.
Marko: Yeah but it’s not like a panacea. As you say they bring it
in it complements the main thing. I think maybe with Western culture
it was always how there was protein at the center of the plate and
garnishes on the side. And then you saw the second wave of vegetarianism and even with that you saw the vegetarian products trying
to imitate the meat products rather than embracing the beauty of the
can get really high quality vegetables and learn to cook them the way
vegetables want to be cooked rather than the trend. Like a Tofurkey
or Veggie Pizza with fake soy cheese.
Eliz: Are you vegetarian?
M: No, I’m weekday vegetarian. For me, it’s moderation of everything. I try to curve my annual proteins because I recognize they are
very detrimental. This much water and energy consumption makes
a pound of meat versus a pound of vegetable. The French have an
interesting saying that is like everything in moderation is moderation.
So I think I follow that.
B: So, you have no interest in eating bugs? Have you tried?

like things that are sweet and crunchy and savory. That’s why all
snack foods are designed for that. Plus there’s the other thing, we like
things that look like us. It’s just basic geometry – 2 legs, 2 arms, and
dling up with a tarantula.

which makes a lot of sense. A shrimp is good, crab is good, and lobster is good.
E: It’s like the insects of the sea.
M: That’s a good point.

B: I don’t know if you could introduce it like that but at some point
people probably thought seafood was disgusting.
M: Oh yeah, people thought lobster was disgusting.
B: Yeah, when you crack open a crab it doesn’t look like the meat
that’s served on your plate, it looks like slime.
M: Yeah it’s also how you prepare it too. Even if you get a lobster tail,
they remove the head and all the parts that are disgusting looking.

M: If they did more preparation. When I ate that cricket taco, I could
eat it but when I looked at it there was just this disconnect.
E: Yeah, it just looked kind of disgusting. Like you shouldn’t be eating
it.
M: Yeah. Like when you see a bug on your plate you’re like, oh.

M: Yeah, that’s my main complaint. I think you have to be honest with
yourself as a chef. Cook it because you like something about it and
expand that characteristic in the food. Don’t assemble a meal. Make it
in concert so the ingredients work together.
B: I think the UN document is trying to get people to start talking
about it. This is really just how the media does.
M: Look where it’s coming from. It’s coming from the UN. It’s a political
document. I want to see a chef do this.
E: I think there’s something exotic about eating insects just because
you know there is a small segment of restaurants that have an insect
dish so I think it might be possible that it becomes more of a delicacy
or something like that. Do you think that’s possible?

M: Yeah I mean if you sell it that way. You know people love food
with a story. It’s just so tiny. Lobster and shrimp are larger.

We like things that
like
us.again.
it’s
M: look
I just had bull’s
testicles
At ajust
Japanese restaurant.
E: How
did thatgeometrytaste?
basic
2
M: legs,
It’s not really
taste, it’s more
like atstuff.
texture. Really chewy.
2aarms,
and
E: What’s the most exotic food you’ve ever had?

B: What made you eat that?
M: It was there. It was exotic. It was on the menu. I just thought, let’s
try this.
B: So you do try things because they are exotic?
M: Yeah, I’m curious. You have to expand your pallet.
B: So if you saw bugs on a menu would you try?
M: It depends, is it some fancy chichi place or am I in the middle of
Indonesia? Which I will be in 2 weeks.. and someone was like, we’ve
been making these for centuries.
B: So you would try both?
M: Yeah.
E: Alright, thanks for letting us interview you. Really interesting to

Harman
Johar

I work to provide a
Yes I am – one my team members, David Gracer, was involved with it
safe
and reliable supto some degree. The results – more entrepreneurs are turning their
attentions to entomophagy and publications have now started to put
ply
ofthatedible
insects
out stories
view eating insects
more seriously
to food entrepreneurs
Iand
am a future
oriented of
entrepreneur,
currently working on growing and
chefs
all kinds
Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If yes,

developing the US and international entomophagy community as well
as growing my company. I work to provide a safe and reliable supply
of edible insects to food entrepreneurs and chefs of all kinds.

I began experimenting with raising insects in my dorm room during a
college course my sophomore year. I became more interested and
put together a group of people in various majors, such as media,
formally launch World Entomophagy.

society?
Environmentally/Sustainably – animal protein is the most destructive form of food we have. It even surpasses cars/trucks/planes in its
environmental devastation. Switching even a small amount of meals
We would use less water, land, and feed to reap more protein and
produce much less waste. Insects are also extremely nutritious and
incorporating them into your diet only plays along with the recent
movement of knowing what you eat and eating truly healthier.

Create mass produced products like Chapul and EXO (using cricket
to deal with the visual stimulus). Also, to get insects into the hands of
the world’s best chefs to encourage innovation and push to see what
the potential of insects as a culinary phenomenon really is.

We have – more people are interested in getting involved. We’ve
seen a huge increase in entrepreneurs contacting us for ingredients
and to talk about their ideas. Every event we attend we’re always
one of the most visited booths and we always run out samples. More
and more people are seeing our media and looking for a way to try
the products.

We either embrace it and help people get over it with education or
taste and no visual stimulus. Education is generally the key.

Blueberry Parisian Mealworm Macaroons. I’m also a fan of cricket
ing line.
Are there restaurants or stores near you where you can order
Just one, and that’s as a novelty to eat with a big shot of tequila. We
do see the opportunity but are focused on streamlining our supply
infrastructure and getting some of the ento businesses we’ve been
working with up and running. While we do retail to restaurants and
stores, we want to focus on creating an open and friendly industry so
are what we’re interested in getting into stores.

I think it will be along the lines of sushi. It will become a food option,
much like choosing shrimp, chicken, or beef at your local Chinese
restaurant. Stores like Whole Foods will be carrying edible insect
products (such as EXO bars) and raw insects (much like you can buy
steaks and burgers at trader joes now)

The most exotic dish
I have served is our
What type of food you are interested in?
most recent menu
I am interested in well-balanced, diverse and sustainable food,
addition
combinations.
I amthe
also passionate about local and seasonal eating.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grasswhopperâ&#x20AC;?.
An on entomophagy,
Have
you heard of the recent UN document
which promotes the consumption of eating insects as a cheap and
American style
I am familiar, but not well-versed.
slider burger, made
you share stories?
with crickets in place
One of the ingredients we feature in the restaurant is Crickets. I have
tried them both by themselves and in the context of several dishes.
of the traditional
beef.
your
restaurant? Why or why not?

I manage Antojeria La Popular, Mexican tapas restaurant. I also have
experience working as a private chef and specialize in gluten-free
cooking and baking or other dietary restrictions.

They are tasty & high in protein. They are readily available, making
them a potentially sustainable food source in countries where protein
is especially limited.

Even people who shutter at the idea are often convince to try, just to
say they did.
tent food source?
of them becoming readily available.

I make Mexican chocolate cake for the restaurant and have been
really interested in the possibility of creating a dessert that features
crickets. Dipped in chocolate perhaps?

For sure our most recent menu addition the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grasswhopperâ&#x20AC;?. An
American style slider burger, made with crickets in place of the
traditional beef.

Katharina
Unger
Designer for insect production

Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If yes,
I was in the middle of my design phase for Farm432 when the new
Entomophagy paper came out. I had started my test breeding already
lutely crazy. There has been a load of media coverage about it ever
since and I see many small startups coming up around this topic.
ing on?
My proposal is less about the eating part but rather deals with the
production. Decentralized production will play a big role in our food
supply in the future, which is why I created the small scale breeding
chamber. I am currently making Farm432 ready for production and
also I am working on new, thematically related, projects.

I grew up on a small farm. Therefore I have a deep connection to
nature and food and how we produce it. My experiences in China
showed me the importance of sustainable and ethical food production
when facing a rapidly growing urban population. I looked at my work
and saw that most of it has already been dedicated to these topics. I
guess in the end the most authentic work of a designer often relates
to his or her roots.
ety?
The most plausible on the consumer end is that there are so many
When prepared well they taste delicious plus they are a very sustainable food source.
By building a culture around it. Chefs who start to cook with it and
create recipes, people who breed them, moms who experiment in
plement it- just like with any other type of food.

I see the shift whenever I tell people about it. My most conservative
friends were the ones who in the end were most excited about it. My

The most inspiring are
messages from people
Communicating
clearly and presenting cleanly.
who themselves
get
inspired by my work
This really depends on the type of insect. Grasshoppers for example
I like best simply fried in a bit of olive oil and with some spices added.
and
start
growing,
Larvae
I always
mix with rice
and additional sauces.
eating,
and
Are there
restaurants
or stores near you where you can order
Thereexperimenting
are pet stores ;) Otherwise the supply is mostly online.
with it too.
This showed me that it is truly not as hard to convince people about
it.

be on board very soon as they do not mind protein from whatever
individuals and how we build up the culture around it.

Most inspiring are messages from people who themselves get inspired by my work and start growing, eating, and experimenting with
it too. The diversity of people is unexpected and gives me the trust in
pursuing this idea further.

David
Gracer
Composition teacher
& entomophagy advocate

Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If yes,
Yes, I’ve read the 5/13 document and the reports that came before
it. One aspect of my work involves archiving articles and technical
papers on entomophagy; there were 199 journalistic articles on insect
consumption in May 2013. Some of these were unrelated to the FAO
report, but most were in reaction to that document. Beyond that obvimoment.
ing on?
My day job is teaching composition and literature at a community
college and state prison. I’ve got a vibrant methodology that includes
they write essays on their willingness or unwillingness to try one.
and overnight. I’ve also done a good deal of media and lectures
and educational events. Other than the articles and a [fairly ragged]
manuscript on entomophagy, I’ve been writing captions and labels
for a museum-style exhibit on entomophagy. It features not only the
predictable artifacts of insect consumption, but also the underlying
narratives that explain our reactions to insects in general and entomophagy in particular. I’m a member of the Future Food Salon Group,
and we’re organizing an international conference on entomophagy
in Montreal next August. I recommend that you consider presenting
there.

Long story short: an old college friend gave me insect snacks one
day. It was the perfect gift, as it awoke energies and a sense of focus
from many threads over my entire life. That was perhaps fourteen
years ago. I approach this subject from a humanities perspective, and
I have come to understand the philosophical underpinnings of what’s
really going on behind the obvious. There is opportunity for multi-media and inter-disciplinary work here, including performative elements.
I’d like to be involved in all of that.
ety?

It will provide basic resources for the immense, almost unimaginable,
societal storms that are coming. Until that time it can awaken curiosity and a sense of adventure and wonder for those intelligent enough
to see what they represent. Granted, those are grandiose answers.
More basically there’s the whole “saving our natural resources like
feed, water, food-miles,” etc. Those are also true. There are many
predictions about increasing urbanization, and the need for urban agriculture so that we can make cities protein-independent. Insects will

As egotistical as it
sounds, i’m mostly
trying to inspired
myself

It must be done experientially. It must be handled with humor but not

cities, neighborhoods, etc.
We need ‘boots on the ground’ because it’s through immediate, faceto-face education that we can connect with others. “The public” is
much stupider than individual people.
Yes, but only as individuals. That makes for a long haul.

Over the years I’ve been very fond of teasing people in good-natured
ways, and using humor to disarm the situation. I don’t mind acting like
a salesman because I’m not on commission; I get paid whether they
eat the food or not. I should also admit that over the years I’ve found
the food-preparation element to be increasingly onerous, because I’m
a lousy cook and I feel a lot of pressure over that part of the presentation.

Waxworms are completely delicious. I’m also quite fond of chapulines
and of stinkbugs, despite the name. I have no problems with crickets. Any time a real chef has prepared insects, they have had no bad
culinary experience.

Are there restaurants or stores near you where you can order
There are Southeast Asian markets here in Providence that sell
frozen and imported species. Some are seasonal, others year-round.
I’ve found a few other items in ethnic markets; from Uganda and from
Mexico, but it’s very hit or miss. There is a lot more to be done in
this aspect of the subject, but I have neither the background nor the
interest to get into food importation. Overall I’ve managed to source
a surprisingly large variety of species; many orders I’ve gotten could

That depends entirely on the stability of our infrastructure to continue delivering the standard protein sources such that ‘everyone’

about the next ten years and beyond, I feel that historical upheaval is
heading toward us.

As egotistical as it sounds, I’m mostly trying to inspire myself. I knew
Gene DeFoliart, though it was just over the phone. I’m close friends
with Zack Lemann, David George Gordon, Harman Johar, Daniella
Martin, Jakub “Kubo” Dzamba, and many others; they’ve all done a lot
to help the subject forward and they’re all much better cooks than I
background and skills to bring people forward, but for various reaand my other colleagues at Future Food Salon Group are trying to
accomplish. Beyond this, conservationists like Jane Goodall, David
Attenborough, Gerald Durrell, and a few others -- including younger,
non-famous people whom I know -- are my biggest heroes. I don’t
have their drive.

What is this Zine about?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
published a document in 2013 called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Edible Insects:
future prospects for food and feed security.â&#x20AC;? This
book assesses the potential of insects as food and
feed. The document includes important research
and information that the public should know, but it is
dense and tedious to read. Our mission is to break
down the document and provide you with the most
important information in a more exciting way.

Daniella
Martin

Writer, Girl Meets Bug blog.

Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If yes,

In 10 years, I’m
hopeful it will be
like chia seeds:
available, but not
yet omnipresent
like tofu.

big results yet, but I know it had tremendous reach, so that’s encouraging.

Right now I’m recording the audio version.

thought it was fascinating.

society?
They require fewer resources, land space, and time to raise. Meanwhile, they’re nutritious, inexpensive, and they taste good. What’s not
to like?

I think the idea of incorporating them into an energy bar is a good
one. Luckily, a few companies are already doing that, like Chapul.

cently, people seem to be a lot more informed on the subject. At

tacos.
Are there restaurants or stores near you where you can order

Nope. I live in Minneapolis, and there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anything here, even though
Andrew Zimmern lives here, too. I think that as the market grows,
more stores and restaurants will jump on board.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hopeful it will be like chia seeds: available, but not yet
omnipresent like tofu.

For sure. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some major genius out there in terms of new
perspectives on the topic. Ento, World Entomophagy, Chapul, Little

www.cricketbitters.com

Marianne
Shockley

Are you aware of the recent UN document on entomophagy? If yes,
I am aware of the UN entomophagy document. I have seen numerous popular press articles (50 or more) since the document was
published so it has undoubtedly spurred interest in the media and
beyond.

I am a faculty member at the University of Georgia in the Department of Entomology and one of two, to my knowledge, in academia
talking about, practicing and researching entomophagy. The other is
Florence Duenkel. My research involved perceptions around entomophagy. One of my student alumni, Harman Johar, created the
for human consumption. I assisted him with his initial mealworm
and cricket rearing projects. I have just published a chapter entitled
“Human Consumption of Insects” in a Book titled, “Mass Production
Outreach and Service-Learning class where we serve edible insects
at many of our events.

I was invited to participate in an edible insect conference at SIFAT in
2009 to present on the status of entomophagy in higher education.
From that point forward I was invited to present at many other entomophagy and edible insect conferences or symposia.

society?
I see edible insects as an alternative protein source particularly for
RUTF’s for malnourishment worldwide. Georgia is the lead producer
of peanuts, which is the main protein for many RUTFs. A few years
ago due to a drought followed by a wet spring we had a very low
peanut yield that translated into not enough peanuts for the malnutrition bars. Having an alternative protein to peanuts is a win win. On
-

a larger scale as our population grows, our environment is negatively
impacted due to current agricultural practices and farmable land if
anything decreases, we’re going to be faced with a need for alternative protein sources not only in the U.S. but worldwide.
There is a huge disconnect with the general public and food. Chicken
know, or want to know, what happened in the slaughter and packaging
houses to get those animals ready. Most people don’t buy whole an(which I am). Due to this disconnect my feeling is Western culture will
limitedly embrace the whole cricket as garnish concept, but will have
or paste.

I personally see it at each of my community events. Most people
have never considered it as an option. Once they try, if they’re willing
to, they often comment that’s insects are quite tasty (if it’s whole insects) or tasteless (if they’re mixed in).

We won’t be able to remove the “yuck” factor per se. If someone
has an unwillingness to try insects, they probably won’t try escargot
or foie gras or any other food they’re unfamiliar with either. This is
called a food neophobia. However, there are many adventurous
eaters. That is the population I am hoping to reach and impact.

Waxworms sauteed with garlic and onions. Melt in your mouth

Are there restaurants or stores near you where you can order
Due to my relationship with World Ento I can have insects ready to
eat delivered on an as needed basis. Harman has also worked with a
local company called Mama Bird’s Granola who incorporates insects

if someone has
an willingness
to try insects,
they probably
wont try escargot or foie grass
or any other food
theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
unfamiliar with
either

vendors of live crickets or mealworms or from local pet stores or bait
shops.

As mass production of edible insects becomes available, I see insects
being sold in grocery stores, and by restaurant suppliers. It will be
a niche market just as organic foods, locally grown foods, or whole
veyors are able to market and sell them to a large number of companies.

I mentioned my student alumni Harman Johar. Otherwise, Robert
Nathan Allen is my counterpart for promotion and perceptions in the
well. David George Gordon, Dave Gracer, and Daniella Martin were
keep in touch.